Site Mobile Navigation

Vegetarian Thanksgiving: Vegan Mac N Cheez

Macaroni and cheese casserole is a great standby for a holiday table that includes picky eaters, particularly children. But it is not an option for children who can’t tolerate foods with dairy.

That was the dilemma for Long Island resident Julie Askew, whose 2-year-old son developed a dairy intolerance. He was already a picky eater, and his favorite food was mac-n-cheese — particularly the creamy, extra cheesy kind.

So Ms. Askew set to work to create a dairy-free macaroni and cheese suitable for her picky son. Perfecting this recipe, though, turned out to be a challenge. The first time she tried making it, the consistency of the cheese sauce was too watery, and her son didn’t like it.

“I think he threw a few tantrums along the way,” she said. “He made it clear that it was not the same.”

Ms. Askew knew she had to do something to change the texture, so she added puréed starchy vegetables, such as sweet potatoes and carrots, which also helped give it the signature orange color. It still lacked that essential creamy texture of a traditional mac-n-cheese made with butter, milk and cheese.

To make the dish more creamy, she added cashews to the blender with the sweet potatoes and carrots, creating the velvety consistency she was searching for. She added sweet white miso as well as Dijon mustard to give it that combination of “tangy, salty and sweet taste” that you normally get from cheese. The culmination was a dish that her son couldn’t resist and requests “at least once a week,” she says.

Ms. Askew’s quest to find dairy-free recipes for her son started her on a major culinary journey, culminating in a career change to become a chef. “It was really hard to find recipes for kids that were plant-based,” Ms. Askew said. She now writes a food blog called The Real Food Kids to help other parents who are trying to feed their children clean, plant-based food. For other moms whose children have food intolerances, Ms. Askew advises them to get their children involved in the cooking and meal planning process.

She said her son, now almost 7, happily chows down on salad and other vegetables and regularly helps her come up with new recipes. She said she reinvented the dish to become their “mac n cheez,” adding, “This whole journey has really been about my son.”

Vegan Mac N Cheez
:
Vegan diners and people who can't tolerate dairy will enjoy this creamy, velvety version of macaroni and cheese -- without the dairy.